I have a large framed print of this work, presently hanging in our basement family room but deserving of better display.
This painting speaks to me on a primary level, that of kinship between two women, but there are so many other things that I love about it.
Number one is the seeming ambiguity between the two women. They are touching, but leaning away from each other despite the conversational tone of their poses. The viewer is left to wonder what kind of intimacy exists between these two people. Anger? A disagreement between longtime friends? Or just a momentary shift in positions during a long conversation?
I also wonder what the artist intended in painting one person in sharp detail, the purple girl, and another in softer, fuzzier more ethereal fashion, the blue girl. Blue is so ephemeral she looks ready to float away. Purple has her legs crossed, on firmly on the ground, hands clasped and a shoulder on the sofa. She is not going anywhere.
This painting also has a strong horizontal composition: The four bands of background color; the women's gazes, seemingly pulling the women toward each other, and the placements of their hands. Even the shapes of their heads mirror the shapes of their knees.
What, finally, I love about this painting, is, that like a wonderful biography or piece of fiction, I never tire of it. Each time I enjoy it, I see something new it it.
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